Yesterday’s announcement of the chosen participants in the UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP) was exciting news for the state, local, and tribal governments listed. It was good news for the technology partners named on those programs. And it was very good news for Amazon, Google and other stakeholders in drone delivery – even those that may not participating directly in the program.
Half of the ten projects named include drone delivery in some form. The San Diego project “focuses on border protection and package delivery of food,” the FAA announcement says. The Herndon, VA project “seeks to facilitate package delivery in rural and urban settings.” Memphis, TN appears at first glance to be a UTM project: but they will concentrate “on the inspection of FedEx aircraft and autonomous operations that support airport operations such as perimeter security surveillance and package delivery.”
Raleigh, NC “seeks to test localized package delivery within a defined airspace by establishing drone delivery stations in local communities. This approach enables small businesses to utilize this delivery platform for commercial purposes.” And Reno, NV will “focus on the time-sensitive delivery of life-saving medical equipment, such as medical defibrillators in emergency situations in both urban and rural environments.”
Retail drone delivery is currently something of a pariah in the U.S. – while modest tests have been completed with 7-Eleven Slurpees in NV and Chipotle burritos in VA, major providers like Amazon have been forced to test overseas. Medical delivery is a key application with enormous potential to save lives. It makes sense to frame projects around that application. But when these projects are completed, the airspace may be open for drone delivery of all types – even in urban spaces. Research from these projects combined with progress on UTM should open drone delivery in the U.S. – creating a lot more winners than the 10 listed yesterday.
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
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[…] which the report says will lead the market for medical drones. The UAS Integration Pilot Program provided opportunities in the U.S. for medical delivery projects. Delivery and logistics giant UPS has established a […]